Elevate
by Concentration Maple-ation
Summary: Derby's fear comes back to bite him when he and his clique go to the mall. A multiple storied one, at that.


**A/N: I'm not really sure why I wrote this. I actually don't think that Derby would be all that scared of elevators and escalators but what do I know? *flails arms* I, however, am terrified of them. And I felt like writing some Derby and Bif fluffish stuff. AND I read a fic about Petey being stuck in the bathroom. So yeah. Enjoy. Review. Danger-Sempai, if you are reading this then I would like to dedicate this to you. If you don't mind.  
I apologize for OOCness.**

* * *

Derby looked around cautiously as he walked through the parking lot of  
the mall with his fellow Preppies. All were there with the exception  
of Chad, Bryce, and Justin. It had been the brainchild of Gord and  
Pinky to travel to one of the larger cities while they were in a  
different state during summer break. No one objected, so there they  
were. Chad had to go to the veterinary clinic to get his dog checked  
out (he was suspicious that someone poisoned him), while Bryce and  
Justin's family had other plans for them.

The blonde tapped his fingers gently against his cousin's waist as  
they stepped onto the curb. He tuned out Gord's babbling and watched  
as Bif rushed up to grab the door for him. What a loyal man he was.

Pinky paused in the middle of her sentence to squeeze through the door  
with Derby, continuing on when the Preps were inside the stuffy  
building. It somehow surprised them how... cheap it seemed.

Parker chimed in with a witty comment when Gord complained about  
something, but the three other teens didn't pay any mind. Tad  
eventually stepped in when frogs and chocolate were brought up,  
leading to Derby making a statement that made Gord squeal with  
disgust. Bif remained quiet, eyeing his friends as they maneuvered  
through the crowded mall.

"Ooh!" Pinky squealed as she caught sight of a jewelry store. "Mind if  
I peek for a bit?"

Derby raised an eyebrow but let her trot into the store, Gord staying  
close by her so they could finish their conversation (and possibly  
look through the clothing store across from the outlet they were in).  
After a slight moment, Derby, Bif, Parker, and Tad continued on down  
the building. They honestly didn't know where the hell they were  
going, but they kept on. Maybe the four would find a really crappy  
place to hate on. Or the exact opposite to browse through.

"Oh, hey," Parker suddenly mumbled, slowing down and causing the other  
three boys to look back. "I just remembered, I gotta get something.  
I'll catch up with you later."

Derby bit his cheek but let him go, watching him walk off until Bif  
began walking again. The two other Preps that remained next to him  
made small talk, every once in a while commenting on someone's fashion  
sense.

"Ay," Tad muttered, stopping in front of a shoe store. "Mind if I step  
in?"

Derby sighed quietly. Bif was the only one that remained next to him.  
But he was loyal. He wouldn't _dare_ leave Derby.

...He was overreacting.

The blonde and the redhead continued on in a comfortable silence, the  
smell of food every so often hitting their nostrils. Who actually  
bought that crap?

Derby's gait slowed down noticeably as he noticed an escalator. An  
elevator was not too far.

Bif turned around when he noticed Derby stopped walking, his eyebrows  
knitting together in confusion.

"Are you okay?"

Derby bit his tongue. /Not really/. He nodded and stopped walking  
altogether, suddenly turning around. "Let's go this way."

Bif blinked. "Alright..." he mumbled, suspicious, but continued on  
anyways.

Derby bit his tongue harshly as they made their way back to where they  
came from until they turned around again with no sights of a store  
that was somewhat interesting. The blonde noticeably avoided the  
contraptions that would lead them to the top floor. His redheaded  
bodyguard was becoming concerned.

"Why don't we browse the selections on the upper floor?" he suggested.  
Derby's eyebrows furrowed in response, but he didn't object. He  
instead gave him a curt nod and marched towards the elevators.

It was shabby, dirty and dusty. Bif hesitated in touching the buttons  
(why were there so many of them?) when they determined their floor  
number. As the boxed machine began upwards, Derby's stomach dropped.  
He thought he would puke.

He almost did when the elevator came to a sudden holt, the lights  
flickered, and the door didn't open.

The blonde slapped a hand to his mouth, his throat becoming  
constricted and his breathing more frantic. He knew this would happen  
to him one day. Getting stuck in an old, rusty elevator. It was one of  
his worst fears. Other than the obvious. And especially if he was  
alone. But he wasn't alone, thank god. He had Bif, who was worried,  
but more about the Harrington's reactions rather than actually being  
stuck inside the cramped elevator.

The taller teen moved over to the button panel in search of an  
emergency button he could push. What kind of freakin elevator didn't  
have one?

What kind of freakin elevator had an emergency button that didn't even  
work?!

Bif stepped back with a sigh, flipping out his cellphone before a  
quick glance to Derby. The blonde was holding his stomach, doubled  
over, his face was pale and he looked as though he _would_ puke. The  
taller of the two moved over to where the blonde was and gently laid a  
hand on his shoulder. The reaction he got from Derby was not what he  
expected.

He turned slowly, looking up at his right hand man with glossy blue  
eyes. His mind and heart were racing with panic an he didn't even  
think about what he did next: he clung to Bif. He grabbed the tall  
redhead and buried his face into his neck, no chance of letting go  
anytime soon. A wave of relief washed through him, but the same,  
dreaded feeling never went away.

Bif was shocked. Phone open in one hand, his other one hesitantly  
pressed to Derby's back, his eyes were wide.

"I'll... I-I'll get us out," Bif mumbled, slightly nervous, down to  
the teen just below his chin while patting his back gently. Derby  
stood still, letting himself lean on Bif, inhale his scent.

After a moment of Bif's demanding voice filling the small space, there  
was silence. Derby stayed where he was. He felt as though he could  
fall asleep on Bif.

He suddenly tore himself away from his bodyguard and turned his back  
to him. Bif looked back to him with his eyebrows knit together, but he  
didn't question Derby.

It seemed like forever, but a rescue team came by and fixed up the  
elevator. A majority of the employees and the rescuers that had  
gathered around to watch apologized profusely, Derby mumbling about  
how he could get them fired before he stormed away. Bif chuckled and  
followed after him to meet up with the four other preps a slight  
distance away.

Pinky immediately latched onto her cousin, burying her face in his  
neck. The blonde pressed his left arm to her back, just like Bif had  
done to him not too long ago.

"Are you okay?" Gord spoke up, concern present in both his voice and  
expression.

"Oh," Derby shrugged. "You know."

Bif grinned.


End file.
